Car-reinforcement and door-hinge



L. G. MILLER. L CAR RELN'FQRCEMENT AND 000B HINGE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18,1921. y

Patented May 10, 1921.

25 y efficient than if these were separate items,

j nii" sraras FEES.

LOUIS Gr. lMILLER, F WESTMONT BROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-RENFORCEMENT AND DOOR-HINGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

retreated iviay io, iaei'.

Application filed February 18, 1921. Serial No.y 446,059.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l Louis G. MILLER, a

. citizen of the United States, and a resident i the car floor or the car hopper adjacent to the discharge doors is strengthened and reinforced by a metal member secured to or near the edge, and which in addition to serving as a strengthening member is also so tion of the car hopper and door talren on constructed that it serves as a portion of the hinge on `which the door operates. By combining these two features, *l make a construction which is lighter, cheaper and more as the weight kand labor involved in my construction is less while its strength and usefulness is maintained.

Another advantage of my construction is that the reinforcing and hinge member is made from a bar which may be rolled in a rolling mill of steely or other metal best adapted kto serve the combined purposes.

The use of my combined member will minimize the amount and cost of stiffening and strengthening a car floor or the hopper sheetsthereof adjacent to the door opening, thereby providingv the required rigidity without the useof unnecessary parts, and my construction is also simple, economical Referring now to the annexed sheet of ,drawings which forms a part of this specidoors of a yportion of a car taken on the lincl-I of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional elevation taken on the' line ll-l--U of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a detail view illustrating in top plan and side elevation one of my forms of car door hinge. Fig. t is a detail view in side and end elevation of one of the hinge filler blocks. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional elevation of a porthe line I-l of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a side clevation of one form of my rolled hinge and reinforcing bar. Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the rolled bar illustrated in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is one form of rolled bar which I prefer to use in connection with the car hopper of the type of car illustrated, this being known as the H-25 type of car in which the doors when closed are arranged at a slight angle from the horizontal as shown, and the hopper sheets are also arranged at a comparatively small angle. Fig. 9 is another modification of the rolled bar which l prefer to use in connection with flush lbottom gondola cars in which the doors are substantially continuations of the car bottom or below and approximately parallel thereto, and Fig. l() is the cross-section of another slightly modified form of bar also adapted for this purpose. Fig. l1 is another modifled form of section of rolledbar which may be used for the same purpose asA the bar illustrated in Fig. 8. Fig. l2 is a cross-section of another modified form of bar from which l can produce a combined reinforcing and hinge bar which is particularly adapted to cars of the hopper type with doors which when Closed are morenearly upright and the hoppers of which have a steeper slope, this being known asthe GcL. A type of car. Fig.

13 is an illustration ofanother form of car door hinge which has a bifurcated end portion, but on account of the simplicity of manufacture, l may prefer to use the form of hinge' strap illustrated in Fig. 3 in connection with the hinge filler blocks.

Although l have illustrated my invention in connection with a certain type of hopper car known as the H-25, l wish it 4understood that it can be used in connection with any type of car which is provided with door vopenings and doors.`

Referring now t0 the characters of reference onA the drawings 1 illustrates a portion of a metal car, 2 are the side hopper sheets thereof, 3 is the central ridge covering the center sills, 4 and 5 are thetransverse hopper sheets, 6 is the base flange or ,one legwof one form of rolled bar from which to form my reinforcing and door hinge member, this being the form illustrated in Figs. l, 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8. 7 is the web or other leg portion of the bar illustrated in Fig. 8

and the portion 6 has another shorter flange' projecting from the other side of the web as illustrated, one of these flanges preferably Fig. 3, or one of the ends 18 of the door hinge as illustrated in Fig. 13, this arrangement being shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and more clearly shown on a larger scale in Fig. 5, which latter figure shows the door hinge strap of Fig. 3 in connection with the hinge filler blocks 13. The holes 9 may be punched through the web or leg and if desired the fins so formed may he removed by filing or otherwise tooling so that the portion of the bulb 8 adjacent to the slots 9 is circular in section to enable the hinge strap to rotate freely thereon. The car doors, which are shown as of pressed metal, are 10. 11 is my preferred form of car door hinge having the bent end portion 12, the curve between the portions 11 and 12 being of such size and conformation as to iit neatly over the bulb portion 8 of the bar adjacent to the slots 9. 13 are hinge filler blocks, which may be made of any kind of metal in the shape shOWIl and adapted to be riveted or bolted in place between the leg 12 and the flange 15 of the car door, this connection being shown as a Vrivet 14 in Figs. 1, 2 and 5.

In order to make a neat construction and to have the hinge strap on the lower surface of the door I provide an opening or slot 16 in the pressed steel door, through which j the leg 11 of the hinge strap is inserted,

which strap is bolted or riveted to the under side of the car door as illustrated.

Referring to Fig. 13, 17V is a modified form of car door hinge strap which has a j pair of legs 18 formed integral in order to provide a bifurcation, the size and curvature between its two legs being such that they are adapted to fit over and rotate upon the bulb portion of the hinge bar adjacent to the slots 9.

As illustrated in Fig. 8 this bar is of angular form with one long upper leg attached to the car side and one much shorter adjacent to the door opening, with another leg or web 7 and integral portion 8.

Referring to Fig. 9, this form of bar is of Z-shape and has a web portion19fand a bulb portion 20, while as illustrated in Fig. 10 this type of bar is of an obtuse angular form having the web or leg portion 21 and braced within the scope of my invention, or

as pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by VLetters Patent is V 1. A reinforcing bar of angular section ecured by one of its legs or flanges to a car bottom adjacent to the door opening thereof, one of its legs or flanges being provided with a lbulb of substantially circular section, integral with the rest of the bar, adapted to form one member of the door hinge.

2. A reinforcing bar of angular lsection secured to a car floor near the door opening thereof by `one of its legs or flanges, another of its legs being provided with a bulb of substantially circular section, integral with the rest of the bar, and slots through the Vleg adjacent to said bulb adapted to receive the door hinge straps.

3. A reinforcing bar one portion ofwhich is secured to a car Vbottom adjacent to the door opening thereof, the opposite portion being provided with a'bulb of substantially circular section integral with the rest of the bar, and slots through the body adjacent to said bulb adapted-to receive the door hinge said bar being provided with van integral bulb of substantially circular section, and slots in the latter leg adjacent to .said bulb adapted to receive the door hinge straps.

5. rIhe combination Vwith a car having an opening in the floor thereof, ofan angular reinforcing bar one leg of which is secured to the car bottom adjacent to said opening, the other leg being provided with a bulb of substantially circular section integral with the rest of the bar, slots through said leg adjacent to the bulb and door hinge straps, the ends of which pass through said slots and are adapted to rotate on said bulbs.

6.,.In a metal car, the combination with j. a reinforcing bar, secured to the car floor/l adjacent to the door opening thereof, said bar being provided with a bulb of substantially circular section and slots in the body thereof adjacent thereto, of a door provided With hinge straps the ends of Which are mounted Within said slots and a portion of each of Which is bent to fit and conform to the bulb aforesaid, said straps being secured in position by a hinge block filler secured between the door end and the projecting portion of said door hinge strap.

7. rllhe combination With a car oor hav ing a door opening therein, of a reinforcing bar one portion of Whichl is secured to the car bottom adjacent to the said door opening, another portion of said bar being provided With a bulb of substantially circular section integral with the rest of the bar, slots through the body of the bar adjacent to said bulb, a door provided With hinge straps the ends of which pass through the slots aforesaid and each of which is bent to substantially t and conform to the bulb aforesaid, and means for maintaining said iilige straps in rotative position on said 8. The combination with a car floor having a door opening therein, of a reinforcing bar one portion of which is secured to the car bottom adjacent to the said opening, another portion of said bar being provided with a bulb of substantially circular section, slots through the body of the bar adjacent to said bulb, a door provided with hinge Straps the ends of Which pass through the slots aforesaid and each of which is bent to substantially fit and conform to the bulb aforesaid, and a hinge block filler secured between the door end andthe projecting portion of said door hinge strap adapted to maintain said strap in rotative position on said bulb.

In Witness whereof I hereunto aix my signature.

LOUIS G. MILLER. 

